Swainston's Fishes of Australia: The complete illustrated guide

Roger Swainston is a world-renowned marine-life artist with over 25 years of artistic and scientific experience. His paintings are celebrated globally for their accuracy and vibrancy.

After earning a zoology degree from the University of Western Australia, Swainston worked for several years in the Ichthyology Department at the Western Australian Museum. There, he focused on fish taxonomy and the re-cataloguing of the museum’s extensive specimen collection.

He has since participated in numerous scientific surveys across diverse environments, from the deep waters of the North West Shelf to the coastal waters of southern Australia and the coral reefs of Papua New Guinea. As an expedition artist, he spent two months surveying the fish populations of the remote Clipperton Atoll in the eastern Pacific. He also collaborated with the Natural History Museum of Paris and Pro-Natura International to document the marine and freshwater biodiversity of Vanuatu. More recently, he has joined scientists surveying the biodiversity of northern Mozambique and Madagascar.

Swainston has explored, snorkelled, and painted fish along Australia’s entire coastline and in various international locations, including the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Caribbean, and across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. For many years, he has dedicated significant time to observing and sketching fish on Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, to create panoramic depictions of the reef environment. He has also worked closely with professional fishermen across Australia, studying their catches and methods.

His illustrations are featured in numerous well-known field guides, such as Sea Fishes of Southern Australia, Marine Fishes of North western Australia, Reef Fishes of New Guinea, Freshwater Fishes of New Guinea, and Fishes of the Eastern Pacific. He has also illustrated major scientific works like Sharks and Rays of Australia and guides to the world’s Emperors and Snappers, in addition to contributing to many other publications.

Scientific institutions have utilized his artwork, including the Smithsonian Institute, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and the Natural History Museum of Paris. His work has also been used by numerous government environmental and fisheries agencies both in Australia and internationally.

Swainston has held solo exhibitions in Sydney, Fremantle, and France. His paintings are held by private collectors worldwide and by institutions such as the Ministry of the Environment and the Musee des Arts et Traditions Populaire in France, the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, the National Archives of Australia, and the Western Australian Museum. Documentaries about his underwater work in the Red Sea and on Ningaloo Reef have gained international broadcast recognition.

Roger Swainston currently resides and works in Fremantle, Western Australia, with his partner Catherine and their three children.

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